Stephen A. Smith spoke at length Tuesday about the impact of Tyreek Hill's detention in Miami ahead of the Dolphins' season opener, particularly the responsibility of those involved, including the NFL star.
The ESPN personality made the comments on the latest episode of “First Take” following the release of body camera footage from the incident outside Hard Rock Stadium on Sunday, in which Hill, 30, was stopped by a Miami-Dade County police officer for speeding before the situation escalated.
“With regards to Tyreek Hill, I cannot completely forgive him based on the police statement,” Smith began, referencing a statement from the South Florida Police Benevolent Association that claimed Hill, an eight-time Pro Bowl player, was “uncooperative” during the incident.
“… We have a responsibility on this show and on every platform to make sure we do what we can to save lives. We have a responsibility to make sure that somehow we do what we can to help you live another day and fight that fight. We know how wrong they were. The police went too far. There is no excuse. They should be ashamed. Their actions were completely and utterly excessive. That's totally true.”
Smith then provided a video recap of how the scene unfolded, saying authorities could be seen knocking on Hill's car window and the NFL pro appearing to say, “Don't knock on my window like that.”
“The thing is, we all saw the initial footage and we all went on air in full support of Tyreek Hill. What's the first thing Shannon is going to do when she pulls over and is told to roll down her window? [Sharpe] “You know what I just told you? When the police pull us over, when they pull me over, the first thing they do is roll down all the windows and put their hands on the steering wheel. Tyreek Hill doesn't do that,” Smith said.
“Tyreek Hill had his window down, and the officer knocked on his window. He didn't knock on the window, he knocked on his window. You hesitated to roll down your window, and you first said, 'Don't knock on my window like that.' … When the officer asked you for your driver's license, you hesitated to hand it over. You said in the post-game press conference, 'Hey, guys, what would you think if I wasn't Tyreek Hill?' What if you weren't Tyreek Hill? If someone who isn't Tyreek Hill had left his window down, hesitated to roll it down, didn't give it to you right away when he asked for your license, hesitated to get out of your car when he asked you to get out of your car, what do you think would have happened to you?”
“Look, you have to take responsibility. What I'm saying is that the actions of police officers are completely unacceptable… And Tyreek, I'm saying you shouldn't have to go through that. I'm not saying you should. But police officers have power. If a police officer pulls you over and tells you to roll down your window, if a police officer asks you to hand over your license, if a police officer asks you to get out of your car, that's what you have to do.”
In the video released Monday, Hill is seen being asked by officers to get out of his vehicle.
An officer then opened Hill's car door, told the caller he was getting out, and dragged him out of the car, after which Hill was taken to the ground, handcuffed, and placed face-down.
Several of Hill's Dolphins teammates stood by as the incident unfolded, including defensive end Calliece Campbell, who was also restrained.
The Dolphins, who beat the Jaguars 20-17 on Sunday, released a statement Monday condemning the “excessively aggressive and violent conduct” toward Hill, Campbell and tight end Jonnu Smith.
Hill's attorney, Drew Rosenhaus, called for the officers involved in Sunday's incident to be fired.
